Wadia 170i transport experience?

I have never used a dac. How would I use it in the setup with my nakamichi? What type of dac?

Joe in Mobile

IMO if you use one with a DAC that reclocks the signal, it'll perform extreemly well.

Jab, this seems to be the key for the i170 unit unfortunately. Perhaps a $400 unit could have done better by using a better receiver rather the one they actually used - quite likely. But as an outsider it's hard to know what the real costs to manuf are for the unit & what sort of royalties are going to Apple.

As for the foolish mods available (and yes I did read the tweekers link, which was time lost)

Jab, This link was provided to you so that you could read all that info & distill from it what the pros & cons of the i170 were, what the inner workings of the unit were & why unit sounded like it did. However, it seems that was a wasted effort because, you, like the other forum member, couldn't get past the thread heading. It looks like that info went above your head - because if you had actually assimilated it you would not have bought the i170 to use in your particular system. It was clear (to me atleast) that you would be met with mediocre results, which you were.
And, when it's your incompetence you go & blame the product, suggest that the 2nd iteration will solve the issue, etc! Yes, the product is flawed (& that was described in that link in great details) & there is a way to use it (unless you are willing to live with the compromised sound & many area) such that you get better sonics.
What's the point of posting on a forum when you cannot comprehend & assimilate the info that is being given to you?? You are wasting your time & the forum members'.

Joe, I said earlier in the thread, "It's inexpensive enough that I'd recommend buying it new from a supplier with return privileges. If you try it in your system and don't find it great in every way, then return it."

Why don't you take that advice? It looks like no one with direct experience with the Wadia/Nakamichi is going to come along and remove all risk for you by telling you it will or won't work.

I can tell you that it works great in my system. Right now it's the only option out there that I know of that bypasses the iPod's DAC, so if you chance for the best sound possible off an iPod you'll need to try it in your system.

Dave

Hi,
Don't take it personally that I asked the question again. I am not familiar with dacs so I was asking the question for enlightenment. I realize that no one has replied specifically re/nakamichi and the wadia, but hope springs eternal. Thanks and again don't take it personal, sometimes I like to ask questions twice. Thanks again.

Joe in Mobile

If you're speaking to me, I'm taking nothing personally. I'm just trying to help you make some progress.

Widipedia will give you a quick definition of a DAC (digital to analog converter).

Still, it's a device that's either stand alone or part of an iPod or CDP or SACD player or computer that converts a digital signal to an analog signal. The Wadia is special in that it takes the iPod's digital signal and bypasses the iPods relatively low resolution DAC so that you can convert the digital signal to analog using a better DAC. All other iPod docking stations merely take the iPods analog output (after the DAC) and send it out as an analog signal.

The PROBLEM with the Wadia or the program it uses to route this digital signal out of the iPod is that it adds jitter. Jitter is time distortion of the digital signal itself. This can be fixed by "reclocking" the digital signal. There's a digital clock that governs the DAC and may or may not reclock the input from external sources. Just like a DAC, a digital clock can be a stand alone divice, but it's usually a component within a larger piece of equipment, like a CDP or SACD player or a digital receiver.

No one that's responded so far knows if your Naka reclocks and/or does a good job in this regard. I've scanned three reviews of the Naka and see no mention of its reclocking capacity and quality. You can be the first to report if you'll accept the assignment. ;-)

Dave